Former Australian national cricket team player Mark Waugh has made a bold decision on the retirement of Indian national cricket team captain Rohit Sharma. He said that if the captain fails in the second innings at the MCG, the selectors should say thank you to him.
Indian national cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma is under immense pressure after his poor outings with the bat in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The skipper has looked terrible with the bat in the last 8 matches he has played in the longest format of the game.
Rohit Sharma has looked out of color since the home Test series against Bangladesh
Rohit has looked out of color since the home Test series against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team. He failed in all five home matches and then his hot run with the bat continued even in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which saw him face a lot of criticism.
Rohit missed the first Test of the series and then returned to the team in the second match. He batted in the middle order in two matches but failed miserably with the bat and then moved up the order in the ongoing match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne.
Rohit Sharma attempted a half-hearted pull against Pat Cummins and ended up giving a meek edge over mid-wicket. The captain of the India national cricket team lasted just 5 balls at the crease and managed just 3 runs. He’s been exposed to a lot of fire lines now.
Rohit Sharma will now get a huge opportunity with the bat in the second innings. With India likely to aim for a target of around 350 runs, he will have to bring his A game and silence all the critics with the bat.
All great players die at some point – Mark Waugh
However, Mark Waugh issued a warning to Rohit Sharma, saying that if he is the Indian national team, he will give the Indian captain one last chance to prove himself, saying that he will bring in Jasprit Bumrah as captain in the next match if the skipper fails. Speaking to Fox Cricket, he explained:
“If I am specific now, it depends on what happens in the second innings, but if he doesn’t get a run… I will say, ‘Rohit, thank you for your service.’ You’ve been a great player, but we’re bringing in Jasprit Bumrah as captain for SCG, there are signs that he’s past his best. This happens to all great players at some point.
I think they actually gave him leniency because he was a great player for India – Mark Waugh on Rohit Sharma
Mark Waugh further said that Rohit Sharma was not at his best as a captain, adding that he was given leniency because of his past contributions to India. He believes that if the batsman fails to make a mark in the second innings at the MCG, time will be up for him. He added:
“The numbers don’t lie. Even his movement on the field and his tactical decisions were off the pace. I think they did give him leniency because he was a great player for India, but at some point, that leniency became diluted.” “To stop after this Test match unless he runs in the second innings.”
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